Sahara's pawsome wish

By the time Sahara could first walk and talk, her mum Tanya saw how greatly she connected with every kind of animal – but especially furry friends who needed a home.

Tanya openly admits that Sahara gets this trait from her.

“We’ve always had animals! If someone says they can’t keep an animal, I’ll take them in – mostly to try and find them a home but most of them stay,” laughs Tanya. “Sahara has begun bringing home abandoned animals too. I’ve had to stop us both because I have too many!”

Tanya was told by the doctors that if Sahara did survive, she would be nonverbal and paralysed the rest of her life.

Spending three months in hospital, she continued to beat the odds with therapy to regain use of her legs, her speech and the ability to eat and swallow.

At that point, Tanya requested that Sahara be brought home to continue treatment – around the love and support of her animals. Despite being told Sahara would be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life, three months later she had regained the movement in her legs.

“She came home in two casts, which wasn’t easy in wooden floors – she’d slide around on the wooden floors and bum scoot herself up the stairs!”

Sahara’s wish turned into a week-long urban adventure for her and Tanya. Flying from Perth to Melbourne, they took on the city traffic to venture to two pawsome animal shelters – The Lost Dogs’ Home and Lort Smith.

With three activity-filled days planned by the teams at Lost Dogs’ and Lort Smith, Sahara was never without a furry friend nearby!

In the lead up to the wish, both centres sent Sahara videos to introduce her to staff and get her excited for all the fun that was planned.

Sahara’s next few days included feeding fluffy felines in the adoption centre, sharing treats with very cute pooches and puppies, attending all important foster animal consults, dog-walking, and training sessions with the Behaviour Department, and of course providing enrichment to the cats.

It would take a lot for Sahara to love something as much as animals, but school comes close.

With hospitality as her favourite subject, Tanya and Sahara are also trying to get animal studies included in the curriculum – with the dream for Sahara of heading down that path.

“She’s taken away an even bigger love for animals, and a better idea of what direction she wants to head in. A wish like this gives a child something to look forward to, since we first got the wish approved – she’s never stopped talking about it!”

“From getting to the hotel, and even being in the car – she’s laughing at me when I’m not so happy with traffic or when I’m pressed up against the veranda because I’m scared of heights! She’s got no fear at all – she never lets anything stop her!”